kikay exchange

Say Hello to Baby Ace!

Jillsabs — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:56:09 +0000

Just a quick post to introduce all of you to the reason for my absence these last few days. The sexiest man in Asia, my son Ace :)

Everyone meet Ace, Ace meet everyone.

He was born right on schedule, on my 40th week of pregnancy, two days after the national elections, after I repeatedly asked him, while he was still in my belly, to let mommy vote. And he did! This here is definitely a considerate baby.

This is it for now. I'm so glad to be back blogging, but after two days of barely sleeping, spending some serious bonding time with my bed before Ace wakes up again is at the top of my priority.

Will blog more about my birth experience over at Mom Exchange, but for his dad's take on his birth, head on over to the hubby's website, Lefthandedlayup.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Hair Color for a First Timer

Jillsabs — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:49:11 +0000

(source)

Hello Ms. Jill!

I am 17. And my hair is still a "virgin", meaning it has never undergone any chemical processes and treatments, it's never been rebonded, bleached, dyed, etc. My hair's black and straight ( but is somewhat wavy at the ends). Now, I'm kind of bored with my hair, and I wanted to do something new with it. I am thinking of having a new hair color.

There's a small voice in my mind saying "No, don't dye your hair! Your hair will be damaged. Your hair has been very healthy for 17 years, NOOO DON'T! You should maintain its healthiness!"

But then another voice shouts, "You look so boring with your hair! You want to look prettier, right? Try to experiment! Don't be afraid girl! Go out of your shell! Look at those gorgeous girls, they may have damaged hair due to overstyling, but duh! They're still pretty! Go go go!".

So yah, that's my dilemma right now. Should I dye my hair? And if yes, is it better if I go to a salon? Because my sister offers to do it herself, and I trust her since for many years, she manages to style her hair on her own. And any special hair care tips?

I hope you could help me.

From,

Xhapey

*********

Hi Xhapey!

When it comes to hair color, I once shared the same fears you do now. I was afraid of damaging my hair by subjecting it to those funky smelling chemicals, so I only colored my hair for the first time a few years ago by getting highlights.

After that, I realized how fun it was to play with my hair, and really, hair will grow back no matter what you do with it, so when my highlights started to fade, I picked up a box of hair color and loved how it looked. For my third try at hair color, I had it done at a salon and also didn't regret it.

As you can probably tell by now, I'm a firm believer in hair color as a quick and painless way to change your look. Since this is your first time, I suggest going the DIY route as those box hair colors usually have natural looking shades that will gradually ease you into the wonderful world of colored hair.

Also, box hair colors like Kolours and Garnier are available in supermarkets and department stores and they're super easy to use. The Bubble Hair Color from Etude House likewise sounds interesting.

When you've built up your confidence and are raring for a more in-your-face color, that's when I suggest you go have it done at a reputable salon because a drastic change like that should be left to professionals.

For maintenance, I suggest picking up a tub of hair spa treatments from HBC or Watson's and using them to deep condition your hair at least once a week. That should keep your hair soft and healthy, while keeping your color vibrant.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Jill

Miss Piggy is My Role Model

Jillsabs — Fri, 10 May 2013 05:37:37 +0000

The title might have raised a few eyebrows but think about it, Miss Piggy always speaks her mind, is brimming with self-confidence and will karate chop anyone who dares to go against her. Ok, so the last is not something we should emulate (no to violence!), but really, after the Dove commercial put to light how women generally have low self esteem, it's refreshing to find someone who thinks the world of herself.

When I first read this article from XOJane, I was like: "Really? Miss Piggy?" but when I finished reading it, I was a believer and wanted to drape a feather boa over my shoulders as well. This paragraph is spot-on:

To me, Miss Piggy was a possibility, an articulation of womanhood that I found new, exciting, and self-affirming. She was evidence that I could be a full-figured fashionista who revels in her own beauty and talents and assumes everyone else does too. The realization was liberating. xxx

Amazing right?

So if I am blessed with a daughter in the future, you can be sure that my little girl will not be playing with Barbie dolls and she will not be told that she needs to be this or that to be worthy of a man, instead, she will have Miss Piggy to look up to, to help her develop an unwavering sense of self-worth.

My New Normal Skin Care Routine

Jillsabs — Tue, 07 May 2013 07:38:17 +0000

I know I've gone on and on about how pregnancy has left my skin pimple free for the past 9 months or so, and while it has been all sorts of amazing, it has also brought me to unfamiliar territory, dealing with dry skin.

When I got pregnant, my face and scalp didn't oil as much they did, so much so that I eventually had to do away with my usual primer because it left my skin with dry patches. When that happened, I also had to tweak my skin care routine by setting aside my witch hazel toner and slathering on a moisturizer intended for dry skin nightly.

For my cleanser, I made the switch from Cetaphil to Physiogel Cleanser more than a year ago and never looked back. Physiogel Cleanser looks, feels and works as well as Cetaphil but at a fraction of the price. I always forget to get the actual SRP of Cetaphil but I do remember being amazed that even if the Physiogel Cleanser pump bottle (Php400?) was bigger than Cetaphil's pump bottle (Php600?), the former was still scads cheaper. That's a tipid tip for everyone out there.

My day moisturizer/ sunblock is Keep Safe Facial Sunblock (Php385) from V&M Naturals. It has a very refreshing minty scent and feels featherlight on skin, making it the perfect antidote to this gosh awful humidity.

And the fact that it's made of all natural ingredients gives it extra brownie points in my wannabe tree-hugging heart.

Nightly, I slather on Honeymilk Cleanser & Moisturizer from Ilog Maria and it really does keep my skin soft and free from dry spots. If I miss a night of applying this, I notice the difference right away with tiny patches of dry skin developing at the corner of my lips or on my eyebrows.

The thing that puts me off with the Honeymilk Cleanser & Moisturizer though is that it smells horrible! If I didn't know that Ilog Maria only uses natural ingredients in its products, I could swear that they used turpentine or some other similar vile concoction in this moisturizer. It smells so bad that I have to put in on after my hubby falls asleep, otherwise, he'll whine about the smell. The stench does dissipate after a while, so with most things vanity related, tiis-ganda na lang.

I wrote about the Clarisonic Mia early this year and raved about it. Sadly though, it conked out on me just a few weeks ago. I'm not really sure what happened, why it suddenly refused to buzz its usual 1 minute intervals. But what I do know is that it's too much of a hassle to find someone to bring it to the US and have it fixed. Good thing I got it for free, otherwise, I'd be throwing a mega fit right now, and maybe throw in some birthing juice for good measure.

Anyway, another reason why I'm not as upset as I should be over my Clarisonic Mia's early demise is that I've been using Cure Natural Aqua Gel, which I got at the launch, as my bi-weekly exfoliant.

Cure looks like any run of the mill clear gel but for some magical reason, it sloughs off dead skin cells that lead to rough patches and clogged pores. You know it works because you get these tiny bits after working the gel into your skin and are rewarded with a smoother and softer complexion. Win all the way!

A bottle is quite pricey though, retailing for Php1,500 at Beauty Bar, but it can last for 4 months if used twice a week. Personally, considering my streamlined skin care and makeup routine, I really don't mind splurging on Cure Aqua Gel rather than ripping my skin with all sorts of gnarly scrubs.

Four products and my skin has never looked better (let's not consider my pregnancy aggravated wart outbreak though). Which reinforces my core belief that simple is always best.

K-Palette Giveaway Winners

Jillsabs — Sun, 05 May 2013 02:37:02 +0000

Today promises to be another scorcher, so I hope everyone has their summer weapons within reach. Personally, I go with drinking an ice-cold glass of water every hour and staying indoors as much as possible. And when all else fails, I turn on the AC and just suffer the spike in electricity bill by the end of the month:p

Anyhoo, I'll stop jabbering now and reveal the two lucky winners of K-Palette goodies with some Cure Natural Aqua Gel samples thrown in for good measure.

Congratulations to Kari and Ria O-S! Kayo na ang maswerte.

Enjoy your prizes ladies! And for everyone out there suffering through this hot and humid Sunday, keep cool and chillax.

A Sweet Surprise from Fruits in Bloom

Jillsabs — Sat, 04 May 2013 12:24:31 +0000

I received my very first mother's day gift today from Fruits in Bloom.

How cute is this edible bouquet?!

It was almost too pretty to eat, but the box said to eat it right away and so the hubby and I feasted on succulent strawberries, grapes and chocolate covered apples and bananas.

So yummy!

Thanks so much Fruits in Bloom! You really made this preggo's day :)

Eye Candy with Vanilla Cupcake Bakery

Jillsabs — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:42:27 +0000

I love cupcake shops because of the interiors and the general sense of happiness pervading the place, and Vanilla Cupcake Bakery was no exception.

This was supposed to be a photo heavy post, but for some reason, some of my photos disappeared from my SD card. Very strange. Anyway, simply click here for the Vanilla Cupcake Bakery Facebook page for photos of their lovely interiors.

I loved how quaint and charming the Alabang Town Center branch was. There were Daphne chairs and Cath Kidston dishes, and I think I even saw some pieces from Heima, making it the go-to place for girly-girls like my niece and her tita ;)

My niece ordered the Smores and cookies and cream cupcakes and found them to be too sweet for her liking. I couldn't quite believe it at first, the sugar addict complaining that her cupcake was too sweet?! Whoa.

She ended up finishing off a good portion of my banana and hazelnut cupcake.

Interiors-wise, I had a ball with Vanilla Cupcake Bakery and couldn't stop gaping at the sheer loveliness of the place. But when it came to the actual sweets, I found them meh. Give me good old Cielin's cupcakes, for a fourth of the price, anyday.

Honestly, most of the cupcake places I've gone to (Sonja's in Serendra and L'arcy's in BF Homes) are fantastic eye candies, but are so-so when it comes to where it really matters, the eating. The cupcakes are usually too sweet and/or dry and always overpriced. Sadly, there are times when Lemon Squares cupcakes can kick their ass when it comes to taste.

Again, very strange.

Maternity Shoot

Jillsabs — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:16:45 +0000

It was a homecoming of some sort as the hubby and I motored our way to UP Diliman to meet up with Tina and Reindl De Guzman of Kaizer Photography for my maternity shoot. We set up camp at the lagoon fronting the tennis courts and despite starting at 10am, we hardly noticed the heat at all because of the canopy of trees and the cool breeze. God I love UP.

Anyway, I received a copy of the photos last week and I was amazed at how they turned out. I thought that I would look stiff with an awkward smile plastered on my face, because that's how I really felt while Reindl was doing his thing. I swear, I had a newfound respect for models after this shoot. Modeling is apparently not as easy as it looks! It takes some major chutzpah to werq it.

Oooopsss....Bean just kicked up a storm inside my belly right about now. Guess that means he likes Mommy and Daddy's attempts at modeling, or perhaps that was his violent reaction at our "posing-posing" session?:p

This week marks my 38th week of pregnancy and although my due date is still on May 14, I can literally give birth any day now. A scary thought, but liberating at the same time because although I will always remember baking Bean to perfection inside my tummy for 9-10 months, Mommy would like to have her body back please. I've had enough of swollen feet and hands, and waddling everywhere because of the sheer girth of my tummy and the immense pressure in my nether regions (TMI!).

Please say a prayer for Bean's safe delivery and my quick recovery. And thanks again to Reindl and Tina for our awesome photos!

K-Palette Giveaway

Jillsabs — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:52:40 +0000

I feel like I'm at the end of my tether, just waddling along and going through the motions until I give birth. I would love to give birth and be finally rid of the swollen feet, numb hands, general feeling of discomfort, yet at the same time, the idea of pushing something that big through my lady parts scares me to death. And so although I don't have a birth plan in mind, I do know that I would opt for an epidural ASAP. Seriously.

Anyhoo, let's move on to some good news. I received a box of K-Palette's new goodies and I would like to share the loot with my readers, so read on for the contest rules.

Up for grabs are what K-Palette is most famous for, eyeliners and mascaras. Oh yes!

I'm divvying up the goodies to two Kikay Exchange readers (2 items per winner) and to be one of the lucky two winners, simply answer these questions in the comments section of this post:

1. What K-Palette product would you like to try?
2. Where can K-Palette products be found?

All the answers can be found in the K-Palette Philippines Facebook page, so click click! And while you're at it, why not Like the page to keep yourself updated with the latest K-Palette product offerings in our sunny shores.

Contest runs until midnight of May 3, 2013 (Friday) and is only open to those with a Philippine address.

Good luck everyone!

It's the Guys' Turn!

Jillsabs — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:43:37 +0000

If the Dove Real Beauty Sketches commercial got you introspective and teary-eyed, the guys' version will also have you shedding a few tears, but not in the way you think ;-)

I swear, we girls should all take a page from the guys in this video and strut around believing that we've discovered the secret to Marilyn Monroe's fabled sensuality. In short, werq it and don't succumb to unreachable standards of beauty.

Go out, get your hands dirty, see the world, meet people, fall in love, have your heart broken, break a few hearts yourself and know that there is a vast and interesting universe out there which frankly doesn't care if you don't look like a model.

And if someone tells you that you're not really as attractive as you think you do, simply tell them to put a sock in it and continue to go about your merry way.

“Life is too short to waste any amount of time on wondering what other people think about you. In the first place, if they had better things going on in their lives, they wouldn't have the time to sit around and talk about you. What's important to me is not others' opinions of me, but what's important to me is my opinion of myself.”
C. JoyBell C.